THE Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has said it will continue to engage the National Assembly on Diaspora voting for legal Nigerian migrants.
Members of Nigeria’s National Assembly recently voted against a Bill seeking to provide for Diaspora voting through the amendment of Section 77 and 117 of the country’s Constitution.
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Speaking during the State House Ministerial Briefing on Thursday in Abuja, Chairman of NiDCOM Abike Dabiri-Erewa said the Commission was already compiling the data of Nigerians legally resident abroad with the hope they will soon be able to exercise their right to vote.
“The National Assembly is still not interested in Diaspora voting, but we will not relent in continuing to engage with them.
“We have to vote, it is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when it is going to start,” Dabiri-Erewa said.
She stressed that to be a Diasporan, one must be a legal resident with a name, address and evidence of tax payment in the country of residence.
“If Diaspora voting starts, it doesn’t mean that we will start at a go; it is left for INEC to decide. You can start with personnel, maybe, military personnel that are posted abroad,” the NiDCOM boss further explained.
The Nigerian Government says it has about 17 million citizens in the Diaspora.